Ephesians 4:28
“The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather he must labor, producing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need.”
Before Christ, we all had a past. This person was a thief. He is to abandon that and behave in an opposite manner. Instead of taking what he wants, he is to work for it. We all had our reasons for what we used to do. We are to come to God, confess and to ask for His help. The thief can be transformed and become a productive person.
This is quite a testimony to the Lord. He can transform any of us. The greatest example of transformation is Paul, the apostle. He was on his way to persecute christians when he was confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus. He did a complete turn around and became the chief witness for Christ. Many throughout history have come to Christ from his testimony.
The thief becomes the opposite of what he was. He used to take from others for his own benefit. Today's verse says he is to work, so that he can be a blessing to those in need. The image in the four spiritual laws has the non Christian seated on the throne of his life. After Christ, God is on the throne. In essence, we are under new management. The taker becomes a giver.
This individual becomes a witness to those who knew him before. The merciless one now is compassionate and a blessing. That's quite a transformation. There is no better witness.
This transformation is one more example of God's love. He takes lives that are going in bad directions and repairs them. He starts at our core and gives us a new heart (John 3:3). He doesn't just tell us what to do, but helps us to want to do right. It's an incremental process. Like a cruise ship making a turn. It takes a while. One that sees us occasionally would be shocked at the change.
Lord, thank You for giving us a new heart and helping us to change. What a wonderful thing to aided by a loving God to turn our lives around. Thank You.